Sustainability at the Core: Converge shares insights at Telecoms World Asia, Sustainable Impact Summit
Advancing knowledge-sharing among its regional peers, Converge has taken part in two recently concluded international conferences, the Telecoms World Asia and Sustainable Impact Summit, as its Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer Benjamin Azada joined the roster of speakers to tackle issues concerning its industry and counterparts.
During the Telecoms World Asia held in Bangkok, Thailand, Azada zeroed in on bridging the digital divide through telecom infrastructure, emphasizing the role of Converge in contributing to the United Nations’ targets for universal meaningful connectivity so that everyone can enjoy a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive and affordable online experience.
“It’s really about using your existing investments in your infrastructure to service as many people as you can. The UN Technology Envoy and the International Telecommunication Union set a deadline of 2030. We don’t have much time left, so let’s all work together across the ecosystem to achieve that,” he noted.
Azada added that Converge has been laser-focused on building its infrastructure and introducing solutions that align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN’s targets, which include 100 percent of households with internet access, and connecting all businesses and schools by 2030.
This is through its residential connectivity solutions Surf2Sawa, BIDA Fiber, and FiberX which cater to households in different income segments; and its enterprise solutions which are geared towards serving small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
In terms of speeds, he emphasized that all of the company’s solutions exceed ITU’s target of 10 Mbps, with its entry-level solution Surf2Sawa providing users with speeds up to 25 Mbps.
Azada also highlighted the company’s progress towards the UN’s affordability target, citing Surf2Sawa at 3.9% of GNI per capita.
“Hopefully with the improving household incomes, with the economic growth over the next seven years, we will hit the 2030 target of less than two percent of GNI,” the Converge Chief Strategy Officer said.
Sharing Best Practices in Sustainability
In a significant stride towards advancing sustainable practices, Azada also took the stage at the Sustainable Impact Summit in Bali, Indonesia last November 8 and 9, to discuss how companies can avoid the greenwashing trap and ensure that their sustainability communications are genuine, transparent, accessible, and tangible.
Apart from greenwashing or the practice of conveying misleading information for a business to appear more environment-friendly that it actually is, Azada spoke about ‘greenhushing’ wherein companies intentionally disclose less information to avoid scrutiny.
He said Converge delivers higher quality sustainability reporting through adhering to reporting standards like Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and upholding reporting principles of balance, completeness, and sustainability context.
Additionally, Azada said coordination with marketing and corporate communications is imperative to align messaging accurately with sustainability disclosures and ensure that its sustainability programs are authentic and effectively communicated, mitigating the risk of greenwashing.
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